New driveways, bus lanes bonuses in Rockford school building plans

ROCKFORD — Johnson Elementary School Principal Amber Miller may have spent her last morning worrying about children dashing between cars on Rural Street.

Student walkers still will cross the busy two-way street in front of the school with crossing guards, but the chaos created by hundreds of parents descending on Rural Street just before and just after the school day soon will be replaced with a neat, steady stream of vehicles along a circular drive.

The Rockford School District is spending nearly $6 million this summer on paving improvements as part of a 10-year capital improvement plan launched in 2013. Most of the projects address either pothole-ridden parking lots or situations like Miller’s where school buses and parents vie for too little space causing traffic congestion and potentially dangerous situations for small children.

When schools starts Aug. 25, Johnson parents will be able to get their vehicles into a single file that will allow them to drop off and pick up their children at the front entrance of the school. Staff members will assist students in getting in and out of cars so traffic doesn’t back up.

The word “relief” is an understatement for Miller.

“I understand some parents can be in a rush some days, but there were some parents that rather than pull into the curb lane would stop in the middle of the road and let their child cross in front of the curbside traffic,” Miller said. “I have had several situations where I’ve had to speak with parents and tell them, ‘This is not safe. Your child almost got hit by a car.’”

With the addition of the circular drive at Johnson, parents will have options. They can park in new visitor parking spaces, park in the curb lane along Rural or use the circular drive.

“It should flow very seamlessly,” Miller said. Maps and instructions were included in students’ registration packets. “I think it’s going to improve the time of getting parents in and out, too.”

Schools receiving parking lot and driveway improvements this summer include Johnson, Conklin, Lathrop, Roosevelt and Eisenhower. Several schools got the improvements last year.

Establishing designated bus lanes and parent pick-up and drop-off areas at each school is a district priority.

“It’s about safety,” said Chief Operations Officer Todd Schmidt. “You want to avoid overlaps so you don’t have kids walking in front of buses or other parents’ cars.”

The district’s paving project at Eisenhower Middle School is the most extensive. The $1.5 million project includes a new bridge to complete a bus loop, reconstruction of parking lots, roadways and sidewalks and new lighting.

Paving projects also are underway at Auburn, East, Guilford and Jefferson high schools. The work includes new parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, draining and lighting. Paving projects at Auburn, Guilford and Jefferson are expected to cost nearly $2.9 million. The cost of East’s new parking lot is included in the $13.5 million the district is spending on the school’s new fieldhouse.

Barbour Language Academy, Ellis Elementary School and Lewis Lemon Elementary School are getting crack sealing and sealcoating on their parking lots this summer, as well, at a cost of $25,300.